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Verbeek sees positives

Qantas Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek summed up the Australia's 2010 World Cup draw perfectly when he said 'it could have been better, it could have been worse.'

Qantas Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek summed up the Australia's 2010 World Cup draw perfectly when he said 'it could have been better, it could have been worse.'

The Qantas Socceroos were drawn in Group D in the official draw on Saturday morning alongside three-time winners Germany as well as Serbia and Ghana.

But there is a massive reward on offer for the Qantas Socceroos if they can finish second in the group and reach the knockout stages for the second World Cup in succession - a probable round of 16 clash against arch sporting rival England in the second round.

While some are already labelling Australia's group as the 'Group of Death', Verbeek showed little emotion after the draw as the Qantas Socceroos at least avoided the strongest teams from Pot D in France and Portugal.

With Serbia having been the worst performed team at the last World Cup - when it lost all three group games including a 6-0 mauling at the hands of Argentina - and with Germany heavy favourite to top the group, the battle for second place is likely to come down to the Qantas Socceroos and Ghana.

But Verbeek said the Qantas Socceroos would go in confident against Ghana based on past meetings.

"It-s interesting because we have a good record against Ghana, we won four times against them and two times it's a draw so we have never lost against them," Verbeek said immediately after the draw.

"(But) Germany is one of the best teams in the world of course and to play them, well they are a great opponent for our first game."

"Ghana of course is very strong physically and very skilful and Serbia beat France (in qualifying) so every games is full of challenges."

The Qantas Socceroos' opening game is against Germany in Durban on June 13 but Verbeek is undaunted at facing the strongest team in the group first-up, even though it will make it difficult for the team to get off to the kind of flying start it got in Germany four years ago when it famously came from behind to beat Japan 3-1 in the opening game with that result laying the foundation for the team's progression to the round of 16.

"We will be prepared, we have enough time to prepare ourselves then we have about four or five days to prepare ourselves for Ghana and that match (in Rustenberg on June 19) is close to our training venue."